The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 143

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 143 55. The Meaning of a Gift (2)

After the New Year party with the surrounding nobles, Lumian spent exactly two more weeks at his family estate.

Originally, he had planned to stay longer. His parents had hoped for that too.

However, his heart was so excited at the thought of giving Tania a gift that he couldn’t bear to stay.

‘Tania probably hasn’t returned to the academy yet, but just in case.’

It would be fine even if she hadn’t come back yet.

He wanted to be in the space they had shared together. The various sensations he had felt while being with Tania came to him subtly like nostalgia.

He summoned Semu through the communication crystal sphere. And in an instant, he returned to Tarasan Academy.

“Lumian, next time you absolutely have to travel with me!”

“Of course. Thanks for giving me rides so often lately. And thanks for giving rides to other people too.”

“Hehehe! I’m excited! Lumian, and Tania, and me! A fun trip with the three of us! Oh, but I’m sleepy…”

With a poof sound, the tiny Semu went to the bed and fell fast asleep. It seemed he was tired from flying several times recently.

Lumian watched this scene with a smile and took out the sapphire necklace from the box.

It was not an excessive size.

However, it was much more beautiful than ordinary gemstone necklaces. It seemed to be a crafted piece by the dwarves, the artisan race that had disappeared long ago.

‘You definitely couldn’t get something like this at an ordinary jewelry store.’

It was an item you could only find at a place like the Dragon’s Nest.

Of course, he hadn’t gotten it for free. Lumian had used the last of the three favors that Semu had agreed to grant him before.

However, he didn’t feel it was a waste at all.

“Hehe.”

Lumian smiled foolishly and carefully placed the necklace back in the box.

Then he flopped down next to Semu.

Stroking the head of Semu who had opened his eyes in surprise, Lumian thought.

‘Right. Instead of forcing myself to expand my connections, let me just take good care of my people.’

There had been a concern he’d briefly had before visiting his family home.

If he could accumulate more aura through interactions with people, wouldn’t it be better to more actively create connections?

It was a natural thought. Though he had already reached the highest ranks, the path of the sword originally had no end.

If the path forward was clearly visible, doing his best for it wouldn’t be strange at all.

But to conclude, Lumian decided not to do that.

He didn’t want to, and he couldn’t.

This thinking became even more firm after the New Year party.

‘As I thought before, there are really many people in the world who are difficult to get along with.’

Just the nobles alone were like that.

He wasn’t just talking about the few who had looked down on him for no reason.

People who had no interest in Lumian as a person, but only showed interest in the achievements and reputation he had built up.

Of course, that didn’t mean they were bad people.

If he opened his heart first and approached them, spending more time communicating with them, he could probably form good relationships with them too.

‘But it would be hard for them to become as precious as my current relationships.’

This was his honest feeling.

If he were a god, it might be different.

Wishing for the happiness of all beings in the human realm, blessing their futures. If he were Goddess Allia with the ability to empathize with their joys and sorrows, he might be able to continue building power through interactions with countless people.

But it was beyond his capabilities.

Lumian muttered quietly.

“Let me just pay more attention to my people. Really.”

That was the direction he should go.

Love Tania even more, honor his parents more diligently. Though they were hopeless guys, continue the friendships with Teoro, Bumer, and Cal Krone.

Besides them, classmates like the Knight King, Morghen, Buckal, Sinseeo…

This much was enough.

Just strengthening the bonds with these people would be able to achieve considerable results.

‘What if I see limitations? What if I enter another stagnation period?’

I can think about that when the time comes.

It’s not like I’ve hit walls just once or twice. Lumian chuckled and got up from his seat.

And after a long time, he headed to the scholarship student training ground.

But unexpected figures were waiting for him there.

“Teoro? Cal Krone? Didn’t you go to your family homes?”

“You’re the one who came back early? I came back a week ago. This guy came back around the same time.”

“Ah, never mind that, how did it go for you?”

The two who had been swinging swords as if to kill each other instantly stopped their sparring. And they ran toward him with expressions full of curiosity.

Lumian stepped back and said.

“What’s this? Why are you reacting so intensely?”

“Shut up and tell us quickly. How did it go? How far did you get?”

“Is that the only thing in your head?”

Lumian scolded Cal Krone.

Then he cleared his throat and said with a slightly arrogant expression.

“We kissed.”

“…What’s with that expression like you achieved something incredible?”

“No, you did well, Lumian.”

Teoro stepped forward in front of Cal Krone and spoke. He patted Lumian’s shoulder with a proud face.

“You did well enough. The summit is right before your eyes.”

“Hahaha. Thanks. You’re the only one for me after all.”

“That won’t do. This guy needs to be pressured more strictly…”

Cal Krone’s grumbling could be heard.

Of course, there was no malice in it. If there had been, the aura inside Lumian’s body wouldn’t have grown.

Woooooong-

Looking at the close friends he had met in this new life, Lumian smiled brightly.

He felt good.

And so, academy life began once again.

* * *

‘This should be fine, right?’

A week after returning to Tarasan Academy. Finally, Tania had also returned from her family estate.

Though she said it was ‘because she wanted to focus on training,’ she seemed to have similar feelings to his own. Lumian told her with a smiling face to rest from her travel fatigue, and they decided to go on a date tomorrow after a long time.

What he was doing now was revising a letter.

Though he wasn’t completely lacking in writing skills and had included everything he wanted to say, it still seemed insufficient. In the end, Lumian was only able to complete the revision after staying up all night.

Thump thump.

The path to meet Tania was very exciting. It felt like going on a date for the first time after confessing.

It was probably because this was the first time he was giving a gift to his lover. The letter and sapphire necklace in his chest particularly bothered him.

‘Will it be okay? Will she like it?’

‘Still, since she’s a noble, she won’t find a gemstone necklace burdensome, right?’

‘She won’t dislike it, will she? Still, it’s a dwarf craft, and my taste isn’t that bad.’

Useless worries also arose.

His taste? The type of gift?

He knew well enough that such things weren’t important. As much as he liked Tania, Tania liked him too.

She would probably show a beautiful smile no matter what gift she received. Lumian believed that.

While having such thoughts, he arrived at the meeting place before he knew it.

Tania, who had run over with light steps from far away, placed both hands on his cheeks and said.

“Ah, it’s cold. Are my hands really cold?”

“What’s a Sword Expert doing being cold?”

“What’s this? We’re meeting after a long time, why are you being so blunt?”

“Hahaha.”

Lumian laughed. The sight of his girlfriend deliberately making a pouty expression was so adorable.

But that wasn’t the end.

Tania looked around to confirm no one was there, then quickly kissed his cheek.

And ran far away.

“Hurry up and follow me! I’m hungry!”

“…I’m coming!”

Lumian smiled.

He couldn’t hide his smile. He became the happiest man in the world and chased after her.

“So, at that time….”

“That’s right. We should have done that, what a shame.”

From lunch to evening, they enjoyed an ordinary date.

Talking about their past trip, talking about the festival. Telling each other about what happened to them during the time they were apart.

It was nothing special conversation, but it was enjoyable. Just like other lovers being happiest in their own world, Lumian and Tania also spent a sweet day that was enviable to no one.

And before they knew it, night had come.

“Ah, what a shame. It’s already late.”

“What’s there to be sad about? We can see each other again tomorrow.”

“Didn’t you say you came here to train hard?”

“I can date while training.”

“That’s true too.”

Lumian nodded obediently.

Then Tania turned her head forward again with a “hmph.”

It seemed his answer was too bland. A natural gap formed in their conversation.

It was the perfect time to give the gift.

Lumian took a light deep breath.

‘Why am I nervous about this?’

Of course, it wasn’t as much as when he confessed. It definitely wasn’t as much as their first kiss either.

Thinking that way made him feel much more at ease. Lumian nodded and took out a letter from his chest, handing it to Tania.

“What’s this?”

“A letter.”

“A letter?”

“Yes. And I’m sorry. During the trip, I feel like I was the only one who didn’t prepare anything for you….”

Lumian made an apologetic expression. Sincerity could be felt in his slight hesitation.

Then Tania’s face brightened with a smile. She patted Lumian’s shoulder and said.

“What? You were worried about that? You have a cute side, don’t you?”

“Cu, cute?”

“Cute, of course? Well, anyway, you did well. How admirable. My hands can’t stay still, can I open it right here?”

“No!”

Lumian answered quickly. His face was full of embarrassment.

At his expected reaction, Tania’s cheeks puffed up as if they would burst. She looked ready to burst into laughter at any moment.

He didn’t want to see that sight. Lumian quickly took out the next gift to avoid embarrassment.

A necklace with a beautiful sapphire caught Tania’s attention.

Her expression was colored with surprise.

“Uh, huh? This….”

“It’s a gift. Did you think I only brought one letter?”

“That’s, not exactly, but….”

A very flustered face.

It was a more intense reaction than Lumian had expected. So much so that he wondered if something had gone wrong. His heart sank.

‘No. It’s just because it’s sudden.’

Lumian shook off the anxiety in his heart and smiled.

And he carefully placed the necklace around Tania’s neck with delicate hands.

It was beautiful.

Her figure standing under the magic lamp wearing the sapphire necklace was, with a little exaggeration, like an angel descended from heaven.

The smile on his lips deepened.

“Wow, it’s really pretty.”

“….”

“You know what? Sapphire contains the meaning of ‘eternity.’ It’s similar to the eternal snow ranch flower you gave me at the festival.”

“….”

“So I chose that, and I’m glad. I was worried what would happen if it didn’t suit you….”

“Uh, um, Lumian?”

Tania interrupted Lumian’s words. His heart sank once again.

For some reason, Tania’s expression wasn’t good.

No, rather than not good, it felt very complicated.

Either way, it was completely different from the reaction he had expected. Lumian held his breath and looked at his girlfriend’s hardened face.

“Um… really, uh, I mean… Hah. First, I understand your feelings well, and I’m really grateful. Wait… wait, I need time to think, okay?”

“What?”

“I, I’ll go in for now. Today was fun!”

With those words, Tania quickly left.

Lumian was alone in an instant. Instead of warmth, the cold wind of late winter rushed into her empty space.

“…What?”

Did I make some mistake?

He was confused. He even felt slightly nauseous.

After standing there dazed for a while, Lumian’s footsteps moved to Professor Morghen’s office.

‘Eujae would know what I did wrong.’

From his position, he had no idea what the problem was, but it would be different from an expert’s perspective.

With that thought, he met Morghen and confessed everything that had happened today.

Then Eujae looked at Lumian with bewildered eyes.

“No way, brother. A sapphire necklace?”

“Huh? What’s wrong with that?”

“Don’t you know what it means to give a sapphire necklace as a gift? Ah, right. Brother, you just woke up after 10 years, so you wouldn’t know about what happened 5 years ago.”

“I don’t know everything, but I’ve forgotten most of it.”

Among the original owner’s memories, important things like family remained in his memory, but most unimportant things had evaporated.

Therefore, there was a high possibility he wouldn’t know about what Morghen was talking about from 5 years ago.

He asked.

“What is it? Did something important happen 5 years ago?”

“There was. An incident where a notorious playboy settled down and confessed to one woman, then even married her.”

“A notorious playboy? Don’t tell me Erve Merrang?”

Morghen nodded. Lumian’s curiosity grew even more.

He knew about Erve Merrang too. He was such a famous playboy that the entire continent knew his name.

Despite such a history with women, ladies never stopped coming to him, so from his past life perspective, he was a detestable guy who deserved to be beaten to death.

Of course, now he didn’t care. He was too busy with his own romance to care what that guy was doing.

But after hearing Morghen’s next words, his thoughts had to change.

“The gift he gave when he proposed to his last woman, that is, his current wife, was a sapphire necklace.”

“…A necklace? Not a ring?”

“Yes. He said a necklace was more visible than a ring, and he had already given rings to too many women. So he gave a necklace.”

“Uh….”

“Some people guess it’s because a necklace makes it easier to see cleavage, but that’s not what’s important.”

Morghen looked at Lumian with serious eyes.

And continued with emphasis.

“After that incident, sapphire necklaces became gifts that carry the meaning of proposing engagement or marriage to a lover… in other words, a proposal.”

“…Marriage?”

Lumian Calard asked back with a stupid expression.

The image of Tania Eloise’s flustered expression quickly flashed through his mind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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